Things I've learned so far

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There was a time in my life when all I wanted was to be on the radio. I made that happen at a pretty young age. By my sophomore year of college I had an actual job at an actual radio station. It was small town AM radio, but I was doing it (and getting paid which made me a bit of unicorn among my peers).

I ultimately decided to not pursue radio as a career, but sometime in the mid 90’s I discovered podcasting. It was the very early stages of the medium, but I saw potential. I sat on the sidelines for years thinking that podcasting was something I would like to do. Well, I’ve made the commitment and I’m going to give it a go.

The program will be discussions with people that I find interesting. There will, for obvious reasons, be a strong bicycle component but it will not be the sole focus.

Even though this is a brand new endeavor I hope it sparks constructive conversation, and suggestions. Links will be posted in the space as the episodes are finished.

The concept is pretty easy to understand. Take a bit of time before you speak (or write, or tweet etc.). How long do you wait? It’s hard to say. It could be a breath, a minute, hours or days. The point is don’t just spout off. How many disagreements, road rage incidents, or on line “flame wars” could be prevented this way?

Social media is littered with people who could learn from this.

Of course there have been times when I’ve been irritated, or angered by some random post. I’ve taken to the keyboard and tapped out what I thought was a terribly clever response. Righteous in my indignation was I. I did not, however, hit “send”. I read what I had written. Then I read it again. At that point I deleted the post. It’s quite cathartic. I recommend you try it. Go ahead and use all caps! What I realized was that what I wrote wasn’t going to change anyone’s mind. It was only going to pull me down into the crevasse of crap that the original poster had created.

As someone who makes a living in the bicycle business, I’m acutely aware of the constant dangers that automobiles (and the drivers that pilot them) pose when I’m riding on city streets. I have to think that I would, at the very least, feel much safer if the driver that passes too close (always with some choice words) would take a breath and realize that a bicycle is not actually an impediment to their day. (Staying off phones while driving would actually accomplish a whole lot more, but that’s a different discussion.)

Now I’m quite sure, gentle reader, that none of these things apply to you directly. Possibly you have a friend that could benefit from this? We all have that friend.

One of the great things about the local bike touring experience is doing seemingly mundane things in different outside locations.

A movement (perhaps not the right word to use given I’m talking about coffee) has been taking place over the last few years. People making coffee outside. What’s the big deal you say? Why all the hubbub? Well, it’s simple. No, really it’s simple. Riding your bike, and making a nice cuppa is an easy, relaxing thing to do. This process usually involves friends……who also ride bikes, and like coffee. See where I’m going here?

The process of putting together a coffee kit is easy. If you camp, you probably already have most, if not all of the things you need. A kettle, stove, water, some coffee (I tend to take mine pre-ground. Some folks take beans and portable grinders to prepare the coffee on the spot) and a coffee brewing method. Two of my favorites are the collapsible pour over from Snow Peak, and the Aeropress.

I think of coffee outside like a small adventure. You’re using some of the gear you’ve acquired (including those nice bags on your bike). You’re enjoying the outdoors. Maybe you’re in a spot that you’ve ridden by, but never stopped to enjoy. This is all part of the local bike touring experience.

Do you already enjoy #coffeeoutside? If not, does this tempt you in any way. I hope it does.

I remember when I discovered the public library. It was kind of unbelievable to me that anyone, even a little kid like me, could borrow books. There was no digital media in those olden days. They did have a sweet selection of posters that I could take home and hang in my room for a week or two. That seems a bit weird looking back.

As I got older, I read books less frequently and the books I did want to read I bought. This lead to shelves full of books that were read once, or in many cases, read not at all.

In my attempt to un-clutter my life, I started ridding myself of these neglected tomes. As the shelves started to empty, I encountered a dilemma. There was a book that I actually wanted to read. I thought for a moment about buying it. It’s so easy to do after all. It seemed that I was about to potentially undo all the good works that I had done. Then it hit me. Couldn’t I go to the library? It struck me as a bit old fashioned, and a bit nerdy even. What did I have to lose? I chose to give it a try.

As I entered the nearest library branch the woman behind the counter asked if she could help me. I told her that I would like I library card. The degree of excitement that she exhibited was a bit surprising. She was very excited.

Here’s what I discovered. The library is pretty cool. We can check availability, reserve books and renew everything online. It also forces me to be diligent with regards to the reading. I know going in that I have 3 weeks, and it forces me to knuckle down and read instead of screwing off doing other things. The best bit is that I’m not filling up the house with extra stuff that I really don’t need.

What do you think? How long has it been since you’ve been to your public library?

So many people underestimate what their bike can do. A properly fitted bicycle can take you down roads and trails, hither and yon with no problems whatsoever. It is we that have the problem.

We’ve been conditioned to think that a certain type of riding requires a certain type of bike. While that may be true of the professional racer, or someone willing to catapult themselves down rock strewn trails; for most of us it just is not the case.

The photo above shows me on a “mountain bike” trail. An easy trail, but a trail none the less. I’m riding my touring bicycle. Fitted with racks, bags and a basket. Tires a bit wider than 2 inches with no tread to speak of. It was great fun.

This is the pinnacle of “Local Touring“. We rode the local greenways to a state park that has off road trails. After riding the roads through the park we took a detour onto one of the trails. After completing our off road adventure, we got back on the road and retraced our path back home. On another day we took hammocks and lounged for a while, enjoying the outdoors before we rode back. I hope I made it sound as fun as it really was.

I think we all suffer from a bit of A.D.D. (Adventure Deficit Disorder-I stole this from Tim Ferriss, all credit to him).

Does this, in any way, inspire you to use your bike in a different way?